ZIP 34240 vs ZIP 34202

This side-by-side compares ZIP 34240 (Sarasota, FL) and ZIP 34202 (Bradenton, FL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 34240 has a population of 11,501 at 65 people per square mile, while ZIP 34202 has 19,816 at 322 per square mile. That difference in population size and density alone reshapes how every other metric should be interpreted — a higher-income ZIP with 1,200 residents behaves very differently from one with 45,000.

On income and education, ZIP 34240 reports a median household income of $130,148 against $121,659 in ZIP 34202, with per-capita income of $62,197 vs $72,340. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 49.4% in 34240 and 56.7% in 34202. Poverty rate reads 2.9% vs 7.4%, and unemployment 1.1% vs 4.2% — these four fields alone drive most of the difference in the scorecard grades you will see for each ZIP.

Housing separates these two ZIPs further: median home value sits at $698,800 in 34240 versus $660,000 in 34202, with median rent of $2,549 and $2,203 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 81.8% vs 79.2%. When reading the comparison table below, focus on paired metrics rather than single winners — a ZIP with lower home values and lower income is not strictly "worse" if rent-to-income ratios and commute times land in the same zone. Every value is pulled from the exact same ACS table so the two columns are genuinely comparable.